Best Books of 2017
Top reads from the pros who pick them!
As the year comes to a close, don’t be tempted to focus on the negatives, but instead look back on all of the books that we won’t be forgetting anytime soon. These are the books you read and can’t stop thinking about when you’re done. The stories that everyone is talking about. These are the books that our book buyers read. So do yourself a favor, and put a few of these at the top of your reading list. 2017 maybe be ending soon, but impressions made by these books will last forever.
Lila’s Picks
Lila is a book buyer with Strand. Starting here career on the Visual Merchandise Team aka “Tables,” she’s got an eye for books that are beautiful inside and out.
The Color of Law, Richard Rothstein
The Idiot, Elif Batuman
WHEREAS, Layli Long Soldier
Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado
Carson’s Picks
Carson is the guy to know in the NYC book world, with a skill for predicting bestsellers that is practically premonition. Bouncing around the Strand since 2001 has had its influence: he has built up 1 mile of books at his apartment without anywhere to put them.
Shadowbahn, Steve Erickson
Days Without End, Sebastian Barry
Mrs. Caliban, Rachel Ingalls
Paul’s Picks
Paul is our resident expert on art and photography books. He buys all of our art books and has done so for 42 years!
The Short Story of Art: A Pocket Guide to Key Movements, Works, Themes and Techniques, Susie Hodge
Annie Leibovitz: Portraits 2005–2016
Leonardo da Vinci, Walter Isaacson
Andrea’s Picks
Andrea is the local Twitter guru and loves all things musical theatre. In reading, she tends to gravitate towards young adult novels and books that embrace all things unusual. Harry Potter for life!
History of Wolves, Emily Fridlund
Satellite, Nick Lake
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Erika L. Sanchez
Janna’s Picks
Janna works in marketing and can be found at Strand taking photos for the Instagram! She loves books about political activism from publishers like Haymarket and Verso, as well as experimental fiction that explores human sexuality.
On Western Terrorism, Noam Chomsky
Sour Heart, Jenny Zhang
Person/A, Elizabeth Ellen
After Kathy Acker, Chris Kraus
Leigh’s Picks
Leigh is Strand’s Director of Marketing and Communications. She’s all over the place but always finds time to read near-future fiction, funky memoirs, and true crime.
Days Without End, Sebastian Barry (paperback release)
Borne, Jeff VanderMeer
The Power, Naomi Alderman
American Fire, Monica Hesse
Barry’s Picks
Barry is a Book Buyer for the kid’s department at the Strand. He grew up reading idiosyncratic picture books and children’s classics and now works closely with books just like these on the second floor.
The Lost Picnic, B.B. Cronin
Kuma-Kuma Chan’s Travels, Kazue Takahashi
Triangle, Mac Barnett
The Boy and the Whale, Mordicai Gerstein
Sean’s Picks
Sean has been working in bookstores for 22 years! He is a buyer as well as a manager in the Strand underground. He loves to read fiction translated from other languages, with a focus on the more complicated, abstruse works.
Shadowbahn, Steve Erickson
Fragments of Lichtenberg, Pierre Senges
The Evenings: A Winter’s Tale, Gerard Reve
I Am the Brother of XX, Fleur Jaeggy
These aren’t even all of our picks! Indulge in the full list of best books from this past year, and let us know of any others you think deserve to be added!
If you like what you read, give us a 👏 so other readers can enjoy it, too!
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